Tuesday, 8 November 2016

" There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come "---Victor Hugo.

The idea of reunification of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh under a secular, modern minded government which works for the people's welfare to raise the standard of living of our people, is an idea whose time has come ( see my article ' The Truth about Pakistan ' and B.N. Pande's speech ' History in the Service of Imperialism ' online ).

Ever since I posted the idea of an Indian Reunification Association on facebook I have literally been deluged with telephone calls, emails and fb messages not only from India but also from abroad supporting the idea, and asking what they should do to make it a reality.

For too long have we been befooled by Britishers and other Westerners that Hindus and Muslims are natural enemies and are two separate nations ( the bogus two nation theory )

For too long has blood flown between us due to the wickednness of supporters of this theory who have their own vested interest of divide and rule.

For too long has communalism and persecution of minorities been tolerated in this sub continent.

For too long has this artificial Partition lasted, whose whole aim was to prevent India ( in which I include Pakistan and Bangladesh ) from emerging as a modern industrial giant ( for which it has all the potential ), like China, by making us fight each other, thus keeping us weak and backward and ensuring super profits to foreign arms manufacturers whose weapons we have to purchase at the huge cost of billions of dollars annually, money which could have been spent on the welfare of our own

poor peoples.

I have received telephone calls from people in U.K. USA and even countries like Brazil supporting the idea ( the Brazilian was not even from our sub continent, which shows that the idea has even international support ),

Many people told me that they have friends in Pakistan with whom they have spoken, and who support the idea, but are afraid of saying it openly for fear of persecution by the Pakistani security agencies.

This is indeed a genuine problem for Pakistanis, since the idea of reunification goes against the very concept of Pakistan, and they will be branded as anti-national by many and persecuted if they support it openly.. I recommend to them to meet secretly, not openly, and propagate the idea, just like the early Christians used to meet secretly in catacombs and other places to avoid persecution.

At present our task is to widely propagate the idea. Once that is done on a large scale the ways and means of reunification will be found out by the people using their creativity.

Truth has great power ( satya mein badi shakti hoti hai ). The idea of reunification is a true idea. We are one nation, and have been one since Mughal times. How long can the truth be suppressed, and how long can we kept separated ?.

Monday, 7 November 2016

The Indo-Pak-Bangladesh Reunification ( under a secular govt.) Association ( in brief known as the Indian Reunification Association )

I got the idea of starting this Association only this morning.

For long I have said that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are really one nation called India, temporarily divided by the British on the basis of the bogus two nation theory and the wicked divide and rule policy ( see my article ' The Truth about Pakistan ' and B.N.Pande's speech ' History in the Service of Imperialism ' online ), that Pakistan is a fake, artificial entity, that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are really Indians, and that we are bound to reunite one day. Only when we reunite can we emerge as a modern industrial giant, with our people enjoying full employment, healthcare, good education, nutritious food, etc and a high standard of living.

For too long have the Westerners, as well our internal reactionaries, befooled us into thinking that Hindus and Muslims are natural enemies, but how much longer must we remain befooled ? How much longer must blood flow between us ?

We share the same culture, we look like each other, we talk in Hundustani. I feel myself no different from Pakistanis when I meet them. In fact when abroad Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis intermix and socialize as if Partition had never taken place.

The first step in this process of reunification is to build up public opinion in favour of this idea. Once this idea grips the masses in India ( in which word I include Pakistan and Bangladesh ) no power in the world will be able to successfully oppose it ( though reactionaries, at home and abroad, will put up fierce resistance )

The setting up of the Indo-Pak-Bangladesh Reunification ( under a secular govt.) Association ( in brief known as the Indian Reunification Association ) will be the first organized step in the direction of reunification. I will temporarily be the President of the Association, until some other younger person is found to replace me.

The basic ideology of this Association will be as mentioned in my article ' The Truth about Pakistan ', in B.N. Pande's speech ' History in the Service of Imperialism ', and my other blogs in this connection on my blog justicekatju.blogspot.in.

Those who think that reunification is not possible since a lot of time has passed since 1947 need only be reminded that Germany was partitioned in 1945, but was reunited in 1990, Vietnam was partitioned by the Geneva Accords in 1954, but was reunuted in 1975, China has still not recognized Taiwan, etc.

Those who think unification is a only a dream, are reminded that when Mazzini spoke of Italian Unification, most people called him a dreamer, but later his dream was made a reality by Cavour and Garibaldi.

The object of this Association will be diametrically opposed to the ' Akhand Bharat ' concept of the RSS. While the RSS wants a united Hindu India, this Association wants a united secular India, in which religious freedom is guaranteed, but religious bigotry and extremism is not tolerated and is crushed.

All of you in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and even in foreign countries who subscribe to the views of this Association can start units of the Association wherever you are, and can communicate with me on mark_katju@yahoo.co.in.

This is only the beginning of a long process, and I invite suggestions from all who agree with the need for reunification about practical details of the organizational set up

Sunday, 6 November 2016

Although voting date in the U.S. Presidential election is 8th November, I heard that there is a system in USA and other countries known as early polling system, which enables a voter to cast his/her vote long before the voting date. This is to avoid congestion in voting booths, to enable people who have a problem coming to the voting booth, etc.

Since I was not clear about this system I sent an email to my American friend Bill Tammeus who lives in Kansas City to help me understand ( Bill and I were classfellows in Boys High School, Allahabad in 1957 or so when he came with father, and we have been in touch since then ).

This was my email :

Dear Bill,

Although voting date for the US President election is 8th November, I was told by someone that voting has already started under some early voting system. Is that correct.? Has it started in Kansas too ?

Please send a me a short note about this, which, if you permit, I will put up on my fb page to enlighten Indians. And, if you permit, I will also mention your name and email id, which may give you the pleasure of interacting with some young Indian ladies who may email you !

Regards

Markandey

This is his reply which came just now

Bill Tammeus> wtammeus@gmail.com

Markandey:

Yes, tens of millions of votes for president of the U.S. already have been cast. Thirty-four states permit no-excuse early voting (including Kansas, but not Missouri, where I live), and all allow absentee voting, meaning you can vote early because you, for instance, may be out of town on election day or otherwise unavailable. For details see: https://ballotpedia.org/Early_voting

Early voting is a good thing for many reasons, although those interested in suppressing the vote (like some Republican Kansas officials) aren't generally in favor of it.

Saturday, 5 November 2016

I spoke just now with Ravish Kumar of NDTV, and told him that the one day ban on NDTV was illegal. That is because Rule 6(1)(p) of the Programme Code of the Cable TV Network Rules, 1994 under which the ban was imposed states :

" No programme should be carried in the cable service which contains live coverage of any anti-terrorist operation by security forces, wherein media coverage shall be restricted to periodic briefing by an officer designated by the appropriate Government..., till such operation concludes "

Thus, the ban is on showing ' live coverage ' of anti terrorist operations by the security forces. Live coverage means showing scenes of security forces searching or pursuing terrorists, or fighting with them. Mere reporting about anti terrorist operations is not live coverage. NDTV had only reported about anti terrorist operations, but had not shown any scenes of security forces chasing or fighting with terrorists. So there was no live coverage. The ban was therefore clearly illegal.

I also told Ravish that no freedom can be absolute, and can be restricted in the interest of society or the state security. But the ban imposed was only on live coverage not on mere reporting of anti terrorist operations.

I also told him that the media people perhaps did not read rule 6(1) (p) carefully, and have been only making general remarks against violation of media freedom and democracy.

Evidently this point did not strike any media people, and Ravish said he will take it up with the concerned people

A perusal of the same shows that the ban is on ' live coverage ' of anti terrorist operations of the security forces, ( vide para 6 of the Programme Code of the Cable TV Network Rules, 1994 ) and not on reporting of anti terrorist operations. There is a clear distinction between the two. NDTV did not show any live coverage of the anti terrorist operations, but only reported about them.

Monday, 31 October 2016

He had written an article mentioning differences between the civil authorities and security agencies in Pakistan. He wrote that in a national security council meeting the civil authorities said that whenever they wanted a curb on terrorists in Pakistan, the security agencies would protect them.
This article resulted in an ' Exit Control ' order against Almeida, which prevented him from leaving the country ( though the order was revoked after 3 days ), and the consequence was that Almeida has suddenly become a national and international hero.
But everybody in Pakistan and elsewhere know that the civil and military authorities have had differences in Pakistan, though ultimately the army has prevailed. So what is so great about Almeida's disclosure ?
People like Almeida will never speak the truth that Partition of India in 1947 on communal lines on the basis of the bogus two nation theory was a historical swindle and fraud by the British, whose whole aim was to ensure that India does not emerge as a modern industrial giant, and thus become a powerful rivalry to British industry. ( see my article ' The Truth about Pakistan ' online )
People like Almeida will never say that Pakistan is a fake, artificial entity, created as an Islamic state, when the reality is that the Indian subcontinent has so much diversity that only secularism can work here. Once you set up an Islamic state there is bound to be persecution of Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmedis, Shias, Ismailis, Sikhs, etc as it happens regularly, and fights between Deobandis, Barelvis, etc
People like Almeida will never say that to talk of good relations between India and Pakistan is living in a fools paradise ( like that other set of jokers ' Aman ki Asha ' ), because the very purpose of creating Pakistan was to ensure hostilities or tensions between India and Pakistan so that the foreign arms manufacturers can beautifully continue their sale of arms to us ( India is the biggest purchaser of foreign arms in the world ), thus reaping super profits, money which could and should have been spent on the welfare of our own peoples.
People like Almeida will never say that Indians and Pakistanis are really one nation, sharing the same culture, and have been one since Mughal times, but temporarily separated by the wicked designs of Westerners, and that we must reunite under a modern minded secular government, and that there can never be peace unless we reunite.
People like Almeida are very careful not to say all this, because they may then be deprived of their comfortable lives, and indeed become a target of the Pakistani security agencies and religious extremists in Pakistan.
And yet Almeida has been made into a national and international hero.
Hari Om

I called you all utterly selfish and unpatriotic, who have no genuine love for India, and only want cushy jobs in Western countries where you will settle down, and to hell with the country.

It is true that many of you indeed are like that, but I am sure there are also many of you who are genuinely patriotic and wish to serve the country.

Why did I say such harsh and unkind words for you ? It was because I was carried away by emotions at the disgust I had at seeing the prevailing state of affairs in India, and the unpatriotic attitude of a large section of the Indian intelligensia, but now I realize I was only partly, not entirely, correct. There are indeed many patriots among you.

Emotions are indeed necessary, as the great French thinker Rousseau pointed out, for otherwise how will one have patriotism, which inspires and motivates one to make great sacrifices for the country, even at the cost of one's own comforts, or even one's life. It was patriotism which inspired the great leaders of the American, French, Russian and Chinese Revolutions.

But emotions must not be uncontrolled, they must be controlled by reason. And it is here that I committed my mistake, as I was carried away by uncontrolled emotion, and therefore did not see things in the proper perspective. I should have realized that many of you leave India after getting your degrees in IIT because in India there are no avenues for acquiring further knowledge and developing your technical skills, which are only available in Western countries.

So I must do self criticism, and openly confess my mistake and apologize to you for using such severe and unkind words towards you.

As I had said in my speeches, India is heading for a revolution, because the present Constitutional, political and social order in India has exhausted itself, and no further progress is possible within it, while at the same time poverty is massive, unemployment is rising, the Indian economy is stagnant, and indeed in a recession, with declining manufacture and exports, almost total lack of healthcare, nutritious food and good education for the masses ( IITs are exceptions ), etc

The Indian revolution is therefore inevitable, and is coming, but it will cause massive devastation, as I ponted out, with dreadful loss of lives and property, and total dislocation of the economy, and may take 10-15 years before it is successful.

After the revolution your country will need you, because by that time India will be in a terrible state, its economy in ruins, because our enemies, both foreign and internal will do everything to prevent any fundamental changes in India and its economy, and will unleash all their strength against us.

So when India emerges successful after our revolution a period of great reconstruction will have to commence, and here is where we will need you and your technical skills. You should then come back to your Motherland, and help in this reconstruction.

No doubt we will be able to pay you salaries which will be a pittance compared to what you will be getting in Western countries, because we are a poor country, and will become still poorer and weaker after the tremendous effort we will have to make to accomplish our revolution, but your reward will be that you will be serving your country and your people.

Till the revolution is successful you must keep acquiring scientific and technical knowledge and experience abroad or within the country, which will be put to use when that time comes

Monday, 24 October 2016

A Pakistani girl, Jasmine Afridi from Karachi made a comment on my last fb post, to which I sent a reply. Here they are :

Jasmine Afridi : Frankly speaking and i am sure you would be aware of it that we don't have that much openness in Pakistan but at forums like Aga Khan University you can say almost anything.

Markandey Katju:

Very well. At Agha Khan University, if invited, I will say

1. Pakistan is a fake, artificial entity ( I refuse to call it a country ), created by the British through their agents, the rascals Gandhi and Jinnah, on the basis of the bogus two nation theory, and is bound to be reunited with India one day under a secular govt We are really one country.

2. All religions, including Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are false and superstitions, and the truth lies in science, which is not something final and complete as religious books such as Quran claim to be, but is constantly developing.

3. Most politicians in India and Pakistan, and all religious extremists, whether Hindu or Muslim, must be summarily and publicly executed like mad dogs.

4. Feudal reactionary laws, such as sharia, must be immediately abolished and replaced by a uniform civil code for all religions.

5. Burqa and hijab must be immediately abolished. This is a feudal practice denigrating women, and must be crushed with an iron hand. The argument that it should be left to the woman's choice whether to wear it or not is a specious argument. No woman should be given a choice in this

6. It is barbaric how Ahmedis have been treated in Pakistan. If they say Muhammed was not the last Prophet, are hey cutting off anyone's necks, or chopping off anyone's limbs ? Similarly it is barbaric how Shias, Hindus, Christian and Sikhs have been treated in Pakistan.

If in your great Aga Khan University one can say almiost anything, then I should be permitted to say all this, which I have been saying repeatedly in my public speeches, newspaper articles, facebook posts and blogs Otherwise come off your high horse and your high sounding self proclaimed liberalism and confess I cannot say all this in Pakistan, in which case I will not come

Thursday, 20 October 2016

Of all the crooked politicians of India, Bal Thackeray was perhaps the most brazed in his hooliganism and shamelessness.

When he died in November 2012, eminent people, including the President of India, Prime Minister, Sonia Gandhi, etc fell over each other in paying tribute to this rascal.

But I wrote an article entitled ' Why I can't pay tribute to Bal Thackeray ', which was published in the ' Hindu ' on 19.11.2012.

The same is reproduced below :

Bhedad gana vinauyanti bhinnah supajapah paraih

Tasmat samghatayogesu prayateran ganah sada

(Republics have been destroyed because of internal divisions among the people;

Hence a republic should always strive to achieve unity and good relations among the people)

-Mahabharat, Shanti Parva, chapter 108, shloka 14

Tesam anyonyabhinnanam svauaktim anutisthatam

Nigrahah panditaih karyah ksipram eva pradhanatah

(Therefore the wise authorities should crush the separatist forces trying to assert their strength)

Mahabharat, Shanti Parva, 108:26

Political leaders, film stars, cricketers, etc. are all falling over one another to pay tribute to the late Bal Thackeray. Amidst this plethora of accolades and plaudits pouring in from the high and mighty, I humbly wish to register my vote of dissent.

I know of the maxim De mortuis nil nisi bonum (of the dead speak only good), but I regret I cannot, since I regard the interest of my country above observance of civil proprieties.

What is Bal Thackeray’s legacy?

It is the anti-national ‘sons of the soil’ (bhumiputra) theory.

Article 1(1) of the Indian Constitution states: “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”

Thus, India is not a confederation but a union.

Article 19 (1) (e) states: “All citizens shall have the right — to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India.”

Thus, it is a fundamental right of a Gujarati, south Indian, Bihari, U.P.ite, or person from any other part of India to migrate to Maharashtra and settle down there, just as it is of Maharashtrians to settle down in any part of India (though there are some restrictions in J&K, and some North-East States, due to historical reasons).

The bhumiputra theory states that Maharashtra essentially belongs to Marathi people, while Gujaratis, south Indians, north Indians, etc. are outsiders. This is in the teeth of Articles 1(1) and 19(1)(e) of the Constitution. India is one nation, and hence non-Maharashtrians cannot be treated as outsiders in Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena created by Thackeray attacked south Indians in the 1960s and 70s, and vandalised their restaurants and homes. In 2008, Biharis and U.P.ites living in Mumbai (the bhaiyyas who eke out a livelihood as milk and newspaper vendors, taxi drivers etc.) were described as infiltrators and attacked, their taxis smashed, and several beaten up. Muslims were also vilified

This, of course, created a vote bank for Thackeray based on hatred (as had Hitler, of whom Thackeray was an admirer), and how does it matter if the country breaks up and is Balkanised?

Apart from the objection to the ‘sons of the soil’ theory for being anti-national and unconstitutional, there is an even more basic objection, which may rebound on Thackeray’s own people.

India is broadly a country of immigrants (like North America) and 92-93 per cent of the people living in India today are not the original inhabitants but descendants of immigrants who came mainly from the north-west seeking a comfortable life in the sub-continent (see the article ‘What is India?’ on my blog justicekatju.blogspot.in and the video on the website kgfindia.com ).

The original inhabitants (the real bhumiputra) of India are the pre-Dravidian tribals, known as Adivasis (the Bhils, Gonds, Santhals, Todas, etc.) who are only 7-8 per cent of our population today.

Hence if the bhumiputra theory is seriously implemented, 92-93 per cent of Maharashtrians (including, perhaps, the Thackeray family) may have to be regarded as outsiders and treated accordingly. The only real bhumiputra in Maharashtra are the Bhils and other tribals, who are only 7-8 per cent of the population of Maharashtra.

Several separatist and fissiparous forces are at work in India today (including the bhumiputra theory). All patriotic people must combat these forces.

Why must we remain united? We must remain united because only a massive modern industry can generate the huge wealth we require for the welfare of our people — agriculture alone cannot do this — and modern industry requires a huge market. Only a united India can provide the huge market for the modern industry we must create to abolish poverty, unemployment and other social evils, and to provide for the huge health care and modern education systems we must set up if we wish to come to the front ranks of the most advanced countries.

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

To understand what is going on in South Asia we must keep firmly in mind Lenin's definition of politics : " Politics is concentrated economics ".

Once that is kept firmly in mind the truth becomes clear

I would first like to speak about the Partition of India in 1947.

What is the superficial explanation of this historical event which caused so much misery to lacs of people ? It is that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations, and therefore must live apart. Hindus worship idols and many gods, whereas Islam forbids idol worship, and permits worship of Allah only. So Partition was inevitable.

But what is the truth ? The truth is that the two nation theory, which was the basis of Partition, was bogus. For centuries Hindus and Muslims lived together in India peacefully. Hindus used to participate in Eid and Muharram, and Muslims in Holi and Diwali. Muslim rulers like the Mughals, Nawabs of Avadh and Murshidabad, Tipu Sultan, etc were secular ( there is no doubt a controversy about Aurangzeb, on which see my blog on justicekatju.blogspot.in ) and would organize and often participate in Holi, dussehra and other Hindu festivals.

What was then the cause of Partition ?

The cause was simply this : the Western powers did not want ( and still do not want ) India to emerge as a modern powerful highly industrialized country, which would make the Indian economy a strong rival to Western economies.

It must be remembered that the cost of labour is a big chunk of the total cost of production. If the cost of labour is less, the cost of production will be less, and if the cost of production is less one can sell his goods at a cheaper price, thus underselling his business rival. Thus the business rival will not be able to face the competition.

Indian labour is far cheaper than Western labour, and so we are in an advantageous position vis-à-vis the Westerners. Realizing this, they craftily planned and implemented the Partition of India, so that we keep fighting each other, and do not emerge as a powerful industrial giant ( for which we have all the potential now, with our huge pool of engineers, scientists, technicians, etc. and immense natural resources ). Also, tensions and fights between India and Pakistan boosts the sales of Western arms manufacturers ( India is the biggest importer of foreign arms in the world, spending billions of dollars on them, which money could have been spent on the welfare of our people ).

So Partition in 1947 had nothing to do with alleged Hindu-Muslim animosity. it had economic reasons mentioned above, which we must understand.

Now coming to present developments in India and its neighbourhood, many people ( particularly many of our politicians and our TRP driven media ) cast all the blame for all troubles in the region on Pakistan, the so called 'epicentre' of terrorism. But that is a superficial understanding, so let us understand the truth.

The truth is that China has emerged as a modern industrial giant, with a huge industry, and about 3.2 trillion dollars foreign exchange reserve which is a lot of hot money hungrily seeking avenues for investment, markets and raw materials ( like imperialist powers ).

Its main rival is India, not only because India is also a huge country with a population almost equal to that of China, but even more because Indian labour is even cheaper than Chinese labour. So if India emerges as a big industrial power, China may not be able to face the competition from Indian industry, as with our cheaper labour we can undersell the Chinese.

This is the real reason why China is backing Pakistan and the Kashmiri militants, its whole game being to weaken India, and not allow it to become a modern industrial giant.

So all this painting of Pakistan as the devil is a lot of nonsense. Pakistan is a small fry. The real 'devil' behind the scene is China, which has invested a huge amount of money in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan, is building the Pak-China Economic corridor, and is covertly sending sophisticated weapons, etc to the Kashmiri militants. So please realize we are not facing a small fry like Pakistan, but a super industrial power, China

Friday, 14 October 2016

A few intellectuals may know historical truths and social developments by their study and genuine understanding, but the masses learn only through bitter experience, or, to put it in crude terms, after receiving the danda.

Thus it was that the Indian masses learnt after being befooled and being kicked around for almost 70 years that the 'Independence' of 1947 was no independence and that real independence is independence from po...verty, hunger, unemployment, lack of healthcare and good education, that a real freedom struggle from foreign rule can only be an armed struggle as pointed out by our real freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Surya Sen ( Masterda ), Bismil, Ashfaqulla, Rajguru, Khudiram Bose, Rajguru, etc and not the fake 'freedom struggle' led by that hypocrite Gandhi, and that the 'democracy' we got after 1947 was phoney, and was only vote bank politics craftily manipulated by our crooked politicians who took advantage of the low intellectual understanding of the masses and tremendous casteism and communalism still prevailing in society to win elections.

It is only now that the Indian masses through their bitter experience are gradually learning the truth, and are realizing that the solutions to their massive problems lie outside the system, and not within it, that is by a revolution.

To achieve this revolution, the Indian masses will have to learn more, and go through rivers of blood and make tremendous sacrifices, but that is unfortunately how history operates. The vested interests in the present order will not give up their hold, and will not allow allow great changes in the country, but will seek to retain the status quo, by putting up fierce resistance.

But our goal must be clear, and we must be ready for attaining this objective whatever the cost in blood. We have to establish a social and political order in which our people enjoy a high standard of living and decent lives, with employment, healthcare, good education, nutritious food, etc for all, and with no social discrimination against women, dalits, minorities, etc. For this struggle the people will have to use all their creativity, and devise the forms of struggle, as were devised by the people in the great French, Russian and Chinese Revolutions, led by modern minded, brave and self sacrificing leaders. Only then will they get real independence. And they will do it.

Thursday, 13 October 2016

I had put up a fb post stating that Bhindranwale was a feudal bigoted village idiot.

I received many messages and emails abusing me for this, which of course I ignored. But I also received polite messages asking me to clarify my view, and they are entitled to that, which I am doing here.

I have basically three points to make in this connection :

1. Bhindranwale was a religious figure. As I have earler repeatedly said, religion had a certain utility in earlier times, but today it is totally outdated. All religions are superstitions, and the truth lies in science, which of course is not something final I( like the Quran, Vedas, Bible, Guru Granth Saheb, etc ) but is constantly developing with new scientific inventions and discoveries. To abolish poverty, unemployment, and other social evils, and make India a highly developed and industrialized country in which our people enjoy a high standard of living and have decent lives, we have to give up religion and go over to science.

So I have no respect for religious leaders like Bhindranwale, Adityanath, Sadhvi Prachi, Sakshi Maharaj, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and most of the Maulanas, as they are all feudal minded reactionaries who will only drag India back into the Middle Ages, instead of taking it forward into modern times.

2. From what I have heard, the Congress Party under Indira Gandhi built up Bhindranwale to counteroppose the Akalis, though later on he turned on the Congress, just as Osama bin Laden, who had earlier been supported by the Americans to fight the Russian army in Afghanistan, later on turned on the Americans.

3. Many people still praise Bhindranwale because most people in India are still backward and feudal minded, and are religious. So they call him a 'sant'. But he had no scientific ideas, and had no modern education. He had only feudal religious ideas, while to progress we have to destroy feudal thinking and practices. Only then can India progress and prosper

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

The recent attacks on our security forces in Kulgam, Handwara, Pampore, Shopian, etc. is corroborating what I had said in some of my earlier posts, e.g. ' The War Drums are sounding ' , ' A full blown guerilla war is developing in Kashmir ', etc

What we are witnessing in Kashmir is a guerilla war in its infancy, which is bound to grow and grow, ultimately creating a Vietnam type situation.

As I have said in an earlier post, I have many relatives who have been in the army ( one had even fought in the British army against Rommel in North Africa in the Second World War ), and I have discussed warfare at length with them. I have also studied the works of Sherman, Mao-tse-tung, Che Guevara, Genera Giap, Marshal Zhukov, etc.

A guerilla war to succeed must have popular support. Unfortunately due to the stupidity of successive Indian governments, almost the entire Kashmiri population ( I am referring to the people living in the Kashmir valley, not Jammu or Ladakh ) has been alienated from India and have become hostile to us..Of course only a small percentage of this population are militants, but even the non militants are overwhelmingly hostile to us, and are sympathizers of the militants, to whom they provide intelligence, sanctuary, food, etc..Sophisticated arms and supplies are coming to the militants on a large scale from China via Pakistan.

The guerillas have the advantage of surprise. They decide when to strike, where to strike, etc. Their traditional tactics is ' hit and run ', and ' attack the soft, avoid the hard '.

All local elements suspected by them to be traitors to their cause will be eliminated, as was done by the Vietcong.The J&K police consisting of largely local Kashmiris, has been already effectively neutralized by instilling fear of reprisals against their family members. That leaves the non Kashmiri Indian army and para military forces as the effective opponents of the militants.

The militants will use classic guerilla tactics to fight them, e,g. avoiding attacking heavily fortified army encampments, and attacking when our forces are on the move, as it happened in Shopian, where the sympathizers must have secretly informed the Kashmiri militants about the movement of the convoy of our para military column..

There will be pinpricks here and there but cumulatively these will have a deadly effect, just as being bitten by one bee may not cause much harm, but being bitten by a swarm can be mortal.

Guerilla war is psychological war too. Our security forces will constantly be kept on the tenterhooks. A soldier has to sleep and rest, but the guerillas will not allow him that, by attacking often at night, or at unexpected hours, as it happened in the American War of Independence ( 1775-1781 ), during Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in !812, in the Chinese Revolutionary war, and in Vietnam.

In retaliation our soldiers are bound to commit atrocities on civilians, but this will only turn more civilians into militants, as these civilians will be filled with hatred and seek revenge for the death of their near and dear ones. This will increase the ranks of the militants. And of course there will be no shortage of arms for them, as these will be supplied by China and Pakistan.

As I had written in an earlier post, an army can fight another army, it cannot fight the armed masses. A tiger can attack a prey, it cannot attack a swarm of mosquitoes.

In a conventional war, one usually knows where the enemy is. In a guerilla war, the enemy is everywhere, he is nowhere. It is often a war in the shadows, and a war of attrition. Our army will even find it difficult to distinguish the guerilla from the civilian, for the former is often wearing no uniform, as the American soldiers learnt in Vietnam. Consequently, anyone even remotely suspected of being a militant will be shot by our soldiers. These may be innocent civilians, but their deaths will increase the hatred against our security forces, and convert civilians into overt or covert militants, seeking revenge. This cycle will be repeated over and over again, increasing the number of militants fighting our forces.

And in the meanwhile our crooked politicians will carry on with their dirty game of trying to get political mileage for the coming elections by ' surgical strikes ', etc ( which to my mind was nothing but a pinprick ), and treating our brave soldiers as cannon fodder for their political advantage.

Much has been said about the ' surgical strike ' by our army, as if it was a Stalingrad Victory. But leaving aside all the jingoism what did it achieve ? Our soldiers went in 3 km. beyond the LOC, smashed some militant camps and killed some terrorists, and came back ( we need not go into the question whether those killed were in fact terrorists or not ). But in this we caught the Pakistani army unprepared and off guard ( just as the Uri attackers caught our soldiers offguard ).

But now the element of surprise is spent, and the Pakistani army will be on guard against any further such incursion, and will meet it, if at all attempted, with stiff opposition. Also, the militant camps near the LOC would by now have been shifted to places far from the LOC. If our army tries another ' surgical strike ' it may only end up not with clapping and cheering by a hysterical public instigated by a TRP driven media, but with a bloody nose..

Sunday, 9 October 2016

There was a theory of the Greek philosopher Aristotle that every man looks like some animal, and has the qualities of that animal.

Can you please tell me which animals do these people look like, and the qualities of that animal which they have ( apart from the capacity to say ' bhow bhow ') ? If possible, also send me cartoons about them :

In the coming U.P. elections my prediction is that the BSP will get a clear majority. My reasons are as follows ; Elections in U.P. as in Bihar, are ordinarily on the basis of caste and religion. The exception to this is when there is a wave, e.g. the Modi wave in the Lok Sabha elections of May, 2014. But this wave is now spent.

Mayawati has a solid 20% SC vote bank, and this is unshakeable.

SP has about 17%, viz. Yadavs ( about 9% of the population ) and some other OBCs. OBC s are no doubt about 30% of the U.P. population, but they are not one caste, nor all with S.P. For instance, Kurmis, the second largest OBC group ( about 7% ), are traditionally hostile to Yadavs.

BJP has the upper caste Hindu vote, but upper castes i.e. brahmins, rajputs, banias, etc are altogether only about 18% of the U.P. population. One cannot win an election by getting only 18% votes, one needs at least 30% ( it is not necessary to get 50% as others

are divided ).

This is the basic dilemma for BJP. How can they win with only 18% votes ? The only way out for them is to arouse communal feelings and instigate communal riots, e.g. in Muzaffarnagar. That way a section of OBCc and SCs may gravitate towards them, as it happened in the Ram Janmabhumi agitation.

But the Ram Mandir card has been played out, and is no longer effective. Anti Pakistan hysteria is now being tried, hand in glove with the TRP driven media, but I doubt this hysteria will last long. That leaves the 18% Muslim population of the state. Which way will Muslims vote this time ? That will be the decisive factor. In the last Assembly elections they voted for SP, but I doubt they will do so this time. Events in Dadri, Muzaffarnagar, Ballabhgarh, etc, the worsening law and order situation, and the corruption of many SP leaders have totally disillusioned the Muslims regarding SP.

The psychology of Muslims is to do ' tactical ' voting, i.e. voting for the strongest party which can defeat BJP. For Muslims the enemy is BJP. Now that Muslims are disillusioned with SP, that leaves only BSP as the alternative choice, and so it logically follows that this time they will vote massively for BSP.. Muslim votes will not be divided this time. ''Ghar wapasi ', hate speeches by Adityanath, Sadhvi Prachi, Sakshi Maharaj, Togadia, etc, events in Dari, Muzaffarnagar, Ballabhgarh, and the activities of ' gau rakshaks ' have ensured that.

As regards Congress, it has no vote bank, and can only ride piggy back on Mayawati's shoulders, as it rode piggy back in Bihar on the shoulders of the Mahagathbandhan.

The result of this analysis is that BSP will get 20% SC votes+18% Muslim votes, i.e. 38%, a clearly winning combination

Indian people, Indian govt. and Indian armed forces, Pakistanis, Kashmiris,

Let me tell you the one and only solution to the Kashmir problem. You must know it, otherwise you are heading for disaster. For too long have you been befooled.

Listen to me patiently and coolly, and only thereafter express your opinion. You can certainly disagree with me, but in that case you must give me reasons, not abuse.

1. On what basis was the Partition of India done in 1947 ? On the basis of the two nation theory, that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations.

2. If we accept the two nation theory, then logically Kashmir, whose population is 95% Muslim, should have gone to Pakistan

3. So unless we say that the two nation theory itself was bogus, ( which indeed it was ) and that the historical swindle by the British of dividing India on the basis of religion must be undone, and India and Pakistan ( and Bangladesh ) must be reunited under a secular Government, as I have been saying for years, Indians have no right to say that Kashmir is an integral part of India and must remain with India.

To say that a long time has passed since 1947 is irrelevant. Germany was reunited in 1990 after its partition in 1945. China has still not recognized Taiwan

4. In other words, the solution, and the only solution, to the Kashmir problem, is reunification of India and Pakistan ( and Bangladesh ) under a secular, modern minded government.

For long have I been saying this, a solitary voice crying in the wilderness, but for saying this truth I was branded as a madman, a crank, a dreamer, a utopian, and even things worse.

5. Those who say that Pakistan is the 'epicentre' of terrorism, and therefore we should not unite with 'terrorists', are talking rubbish. I know many Pakistanis, and find them fine people. I have repeatedly said that 99% Pakistanis ( like 99% Indians ) are good people, though there are 1% rascals on both sides. In fact Indians and Pakistanis are really one people, artificially ( but temporarily ) divided by the British for Western vested interests.

When I meet Pakistanis I feel no different from them. We speak to each other in Hindustani, we look like each other, we share the same culture, etc. In fact we are one. We were befooled by the British into thinking that Hindus and Muslims are enemies of each other, but how much longer must we remain befooled ? How much longer must blood flow between us ?

But that does not detract from the fact that Pakistan is a fake, artificial entity ( I refuse to call it a country ), created by the wicked British on the basis of the bogus two nation theory ( see my article ' The Truth about Pakistan ' online and on my blog justicekatju.blogspot.in. It was published in the Pakistani newspaper 'The Nation' a few years back )

6. So all of you think coolly about what I have said above. Dont quickly accept or reject it. Take your time, and deliberate on it, and dicuss it with others.

Once you accept my ideas on principle, the details about how to practically work them out can be examined later.

Indians ( and Pakistanis and Kashmiris, whom I regard also as Indians ), wake up, you are on the brink of a precipice. One more step of foolishness, and down you go deep into a calamity

Saturday, 8 October 2016

It is a maxim of guerilla war : " Attack the soft, avoid the hard ".
It appears that this maxim is being applied more and more in Kashmirhttp://www.ndtv.com/…/from-ground-zero-kashmir-why-are-poli…
The Kashmir police is soft compared to the army. This is (1) because it is lightly armed compared to the army and para military forces, and (2) the Kashmiri policemen are themselves Kashmiris ( unlike army or para military men ), but are often looked upon as traitors by many K...ashmiris. They have their families in Kashmir, and are vulnerable. No doubt the Uri attack was on armymen, but there the armymen were caught sleeping, and taken by surprise, like the Hessians on the night of 25/26 December, 1776 by the soldiers of George Washington who crossed the Delaware, or like the Pandavas by Ashwatthama's attack at night at the end of the Mahabharata war. But now the element of surprise is spent, and in future armymen will be on their guard. So the Kashmiri militants will not choose heavily guarded army establishments for attack in the near future, but aim at soft targets. Already such attacks have begun, e.g. in Shopian. http://www.dnaindia.com/…/report-breaking-terrorists-open-f…The tactics used will be ' hit and run ', the classical guerilla technique. I am sorry for the Kashmiri policemen, but they are in for an unenviable timeSee More

The Indian Govt. the Indian armed forces, and the Indian people, should all listen to these words in the historical address of Walter Cronkite, the famous anchorman of the American CBS Evening News on 27th Frbruary 1968, as it reflects on the situation in Kashmir today :

" To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy's intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations.

But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could "

Walter Cronkite was an American journalist who covered World War 2, the Nuremburg Trials, the Vietnam War, Watergate, etc. He was so fair and objective in his reporting that he became known as ' the most trusted man in America '. And when he gave this address after visiting Vietnam in mid February 1968, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson is reported to have said " If I have lost Cronkite, I have lost the war.".

Soon afterwards Johnson announced suspension of the bombing of North Vietnam, and his intension not to seek another term as President.

I firmly believe that astrology is unscientific, superstition and humbug. But I must admit it saved me once. And that too because my wife believes in it.

I have been lucky to have had a good wife, with whom I have been married for 45 years. She has taken care of me ( when it should have been the other way around ), and I do believe I would have perished long ago had it not been for her.

But she is a complete contrast to me in many ways. I am a firm atheist, she is deeply religious, I regard astrology as humbug, whereas she firmly believes in it.

But despite that, I am not such a fool as to quarrel with a person who has been taking care of me. So when she tells me to go with her to Hanuman ( or Rama or Krishna ) temple I do so. When she tells me to fold hands before Hanumanji, I do so. When she tells me to touch his feet, I do so. What do I lose by doing so ?

When I was a judge of Allahabad High Court, there was a retired govt. officer living in Allahabad who was also an astrologer. My wife had great faith in him, and one of my jobs, as a good husband, was to accompany her to the astrologer's residence, which I did many times.

It is that astrologer ( who is now dead ) who told me of the events mentioned below.

Atal Behari Vajpayee, who was then Prime Minister, would also regularly consult this astrologer whom my wife consulted.

Once something happened which so infuriated the then ' Loh Purush ' of BJP that he went after my blood, and was hell bent in getting me transferred to Sikkim, which would have effectively finished my career ( in theory our judiciary is independent, but in practice the govt.has a lot of influence in its functioning ).

Luckily for me it was Vajpayee, and not the Loh Purush, who was the Prime Minister, and Vajpayee consulted the astrologer about me. The astrologer spoke highly of me to Vajpayee, and this saved me.

Now let me tell you about what infuriated the Loh Purush against me.

It so happened that as an Allahabad High Court Judge I had repeatedly given judgments in favour of Muslims ( and this at a time when the BJP was in power in both the Centre and U.P. ).

Not that I am an 'appeaser' of Muslims. I am not in politics, so I do not seek Muslim votes. I have no desire to please Muslims. In fact I have often given them the danda ( over stupid, outdated customs like triple talaq and burqa and the outdated feudal sharia law ), just as I have often given Hindus the danda ( over caste system, cow protection, etc ).

But what I cannot stand is injustice or oppression to anyone, whether Hindu or Muslim or anyone.

I regard all religions as superstitions. Yet I am a strong supporter of freedom of religion. I believe that religion will die out gradually and be replaced by science, but that will take several generations. In the meantime one has to be patient. Any attempt to forcibly stamp out religion will be counter productive, as it will make people more bigoted.

For orthodox Muslims, Friday prayer ( Jumme ki namaz ) is important, and such namaz is usually offered in a mosque. But the state authorities of U.P. were not allowing Muslims to build mosques, even over their own land. There was no requirement in law to get permission for this from the District Magistrate, but the police insisted on getting such permission, and whenever any Muslim applied to the D.M. for permission, the application was promptly rejected. Consequently, on Fridays Muslims in Allahabad and elsewhere in U.P. were often seen offering namaz on the open streets.

This appeared to me as injustice to Muslims. I had seen Hanuman temples springing up overnight everywhere, often illegally and on public land, but Muslims were not being allowed to build mosques even legally on their own land.

So when a case came before me I held that the right of Muslims to build mosques on their own land is part of the freedom to practice religion guaranteed as a fundamental right by Article 25 of the Constitution. There was no legal requirement to take permission from the D.M. for this. Anyone interfering with this right will be severely punished.

In another case, Muslims were not being allowed by the police to take out the Muharram procession ( which is a practice more common to Shias ). I held that the Muslims have a fundamental right under Article 25 of the Constitution to take out the Muharram procession, though it could be regulated by the authorities so that there was no public inconvenience.

I gave several more such judgments in favour of Muslims, saying that this was a secular country, and everybody has a right to follow his religion.

Such judgments gave great relief to Muslims of U.P., but they created great anger among the bigoted Hindus, and evidently they conveyed their indignation and displeasure to the Loh Purush, who regarded himself as another Sardar Patel ( though in fact Sardar Patel was a Raja Bhoj, while the Loh Purush, who has now been cut down to size, was only a Gangu teli ).

The Loh Purush would definitely have done me great harm, but for my wife's astrologer.